3. — Excuse me, could you show me the way to the nearest post office?

　　 — 　　　　Oh yes! Two blocks away from here on the Green Avenue.　

　　 A. Mm, let me think.　　　　　　　　　　 B. What do you mean?

　　 C. You’re welcome.　　　　　　　　　　　 D. I beg your pardon?

2. Having a cell phone makes us feel safer, because we can call for help in case of a(n) 　　　.

　　 A. independence　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. requirement

　　 C. connection　　　　　 　　　　　　　 D. emergency

第一部分 英语知识运用

第一节 单项填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

1. Peter’s business was 　　　　failure and he was brought to 　　　　court because he couldn’t pay off his debts.

　　 A. the; /　　　　　　 B. a; the　　　　　　　　 C. a; /　　　　　 　 D. the; a

第二节 书面表达 (满分25分)

假设你是李华，是杭州市的一名高中生。你打算参加《学英语》报组织的介绍中国最美城市的征文活动。请你根据表格中的信息，写一篇英语短文参加此次活动。

E

Britain’s pub landlords are looking with a worried eye to the UK Chancellor’s budget for fear that the annual tax gathering round will strike another blow to a traditional industry already reeling (蹒跚). Thousands of pubs have closed since the financial crash in 2007.

The Plough, which was once a coaching house for travelers, has been serving Britain’s famous warm beer since the days of Shakespeare. Now it is under threat too. “Yeah. So many pubs have been closed over the last few years even in this area,” said Derek O’Neil, the manager of The Plough Pub.

Many reasons are the cause—a ban on smoking in public, severe laws against drinking and driving and high taxes have all combined to kill off nearly 10,000 pubs in the last seven years, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. With the closures, pubs are being redeveloped. Many have turned into supermarkets, where the beer is sometimes cheaper.

Britain’s pubs continue to play an important part in the UK economy, selling thousands of different beers and employing more than a million people. The reality, though, is pubs are suffering something of a hangover (遗留物). In the last 15 years the amount of beer sold in pubs has fallen by eight million barrels to just under 36 million a year. Pub landlords want tax breaks (税务减免).

“People have less money in their pockets, so they can’t go out and spend it and habits are changing—so much alcohol is nowadays drunk at home,” said Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association. “Yeah, I miss the pubs where there’s a lot of character, especially 30 years ago. You know there was great fun in them.”

While pubs are still much loved, they’re discovering that love isn’t enough to survive 21st century economics.

51. According to the first paragraph, tax gathering round can 　　.

　　 A. greatly benefit Britain’s pubs　　　　　　　　　

　　 B. save Britain’s pubs in a way

　　 C. encourage more people to go to Britain’s pubs

　　 D. make the situation of Britain’s pubs even worse

52. What do we know about The Plough?

　　 A. It has been closed.　　　　　　　 B. It is run quite well now.

　　 C. It is a pub with a long history.

　　 D. It doesn’t face the present threat.

53. Why are some pubs being redeveloped?

　　 A. Because they want to sell cheaper bear.

　　 B. Because their business is becoming better.

　　 C. Because they want to receive more travelers.

　　 D. Because they can’t continue in the present situation.

54. What can we infer from the fourth paragraph?

　　 A. Pubs can’t offer many jobs to people.

　　 B. The UK economy actually depends on pubs.

　　 C. Pubs become less important in the UK economy.

　　 D. The closures of pubs will damage the UK economy.

55. What is the text mainly about?

　　 A. The future of British pubs.

　　 B. The development of British pubs.

　　 C. The challenges British pubs face.

　　 D. The effect of tax gathering round on British pubs.

D

Creatures in the sea were thought to live completely independent of fresh water by certain type of adaptation (适应), but now researchers have discovered that one species, the yellow-bellied sea snake, in fact relies on rain for drinking water, and in between the rains is able to make do in an extreme state of dehydration (脱水).

Several studies have shown a link between fresh water availability and the places where yellow-bellied sea snakes live. The only source of freshwater in the sea is rainfall. During rainy periods, rainwater floats at the top of the seawater and provides a drink for those thirsty yellow-bellied sea snakes. Since sea snake populations often gather around those places where there are heavy rainfalls, researchers believed they depend on the water for survival.

If this is true, it must mean the yellow-bellied sea snake can survive extreme dehydration. To see if this is indeed the case, researchers caught 500 yellow-bellied sea snakes on the coast of Costa Rica.

They found that the snakes tended to drink more water following periods of low rainfall, and the lighter they were (and thus the more dehydrated they were), the more they drank. Their findings show that the yellow-bellied sea snake can live in a dehydrated state for several months at a time, depending on the length of the dry season.

The study proves that animals that once lived on land but then moved into the sea have developed a unique way of adaptation to their salty home. For instance, whales and sea turtles no longer need any freshwater at all by having salt glands (盐腺) that deal with seawater. Instead of adapting to the sea environment like many others, sea snakes have taken a different approach.

47. According to the text, people used to think that 　　　.

　　 A. sea snakes can go without fresh water

　　 B. sea snakes can take salt out of their bodies

　　 C. sea snakes adapt to saltwater in a special way

　　 D. sea snakes can turn saltwater into fresh water

48. The underlined phrase “make do” in the first paragraph probably means “　　　 ”.

　　 A. stay up late　 B. manage to live　　 C. live an easy life　 　D. pretend to be dead

49. What did the research on the 500 yellow-bellied sea snakes prove?

　　 A. They seldom drink except when it is raining.

　　 B. They become lighter after drinking fresh water.

　　 C. They can live in a dehydrated state for a long time.

　　 D. They refused to drink after being caught.

50. What is the best title for the text?

　　 A. What sea snakes drink for living

　　 B. How sea snakes survive without water to drink

　　 C. How sea snakes differ from other sea animals

　　 D. Why sea snakes move from land to the sea

C

Climbing Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, has become more challenging. The government of Nepal is telling climbers that they can’t leave trash along the way any more. Each climber will have to come down the mountain with at least 18 pounds of garbage. That’s the amount of trash that a climber usually leaves behind on Everest.

“We are not asking them to pick up trash left by someone else,” said Maddhu Burlakoti, who works for the Nepal Tourism Ministry. “We just want them to bring back what they took up.”

More than 4,000 people have reached the summit (顶点) in the past 60 years. Leaving trash along the way helps climbers keep their bags light so they have the energy to reach the top. “The trash problem is not new,” said Burlakoti. “When people started to climb, they started to leave their garbage there. They have left behind cans, tents and equipment.”

The new rule came into effect in April, 2014. To make sure it is followed, climbers have to deposit (存入) money before the climb. Once they climb back down the mountain, officials will check to make sure they have the required trash. If they do, their money will be returned. If they do not, climbers will not receive their money and they will not be given a permit the next time they want to climb Everest.

The goal is to make sure no more litter will be left on Everest, which has earned its nickname The World’s Highest Garbage Dump. “As we offer Everest to all the people of the world, they should take responsibility for cleaning it,” said Burlakoti. “After seeing the results from this, we will extend this rule to other mountains too.”

43. According to Maddhu Burlakoti, the climbers should 　　　.

　 　 A. be responsible for their own trash

　　 B. only take necessary things with them

　　 C. serve as volunteers to pick up the trash

　 　 D. bring back all the trash along their way

44. The third paragraph mainly tells us 　　　.

　　 A. how many people have reached the summit of Everest

　　 B. why climbers throw away trash along their way

　 　 C. the trash problem on Everest has a long history

　　 D. what kind of trash climbers usually leave behind

45. Now if you want to climb Mount Everest, you should first 　　　.

　　 A. deposit money before the climb　　

　　 B. get the required 18 pounds of trash

　　 C. think about where to throw your trash

　　 D. promise to obey the new rules

46. What’s the purpose of the new rule?

　 　 A. To make sure no more trash will be left on Everest.

　 　 B. To attract more and more climbers all over the world.

　 　 C. To extend this rule to other mountains if it is effective.

　　 D. To get rid of Mount Everest’s nickname.

B

Here are some best-selling books in the United Kingdom this summer.

The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare

Price: £18.99

Philip Hoare won the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize for The Whale. His latest book focuses on the sea itself. In this new book, Hoare swims with dolphins and discovers the life of sailors, scientists and others who love the sea. It is a perfect read on the beach.

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan

Price: £20

This is a paean (赞歌) to one of the most basic human activities: cooking. Pollan celebrates the ancient ways in which we used the ingredients to deal with raw food, and argues that our modern fast-food diets are killing us. We all would be much healthier and happier if we spend more time in the kitchen rather than watching famous chefs on TV.

The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies and What They Did to Us by David Thomson

Price: £25

Regarded by John Banville as probably the best book about the cinema ever written, this is a great love letter to the silver screen. For Thomson, now in his 70s, the cinema is a magical place where dreams come alive and where people’s views on love, identity and desire are shaped.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

Price: £12.99

On December 26^th, 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala was enjoying a holiday in Sri Lanka with her two sons, her husband and parents when the tsunami (海啸) attacked, knocking her senseless and sweeping her family away. She never saw them again. “The most moving book that I have ever read about sadness” was how William Dalrymple described it.

40. If you’re looking for a book to read on the beach, you may read the book written by 　　　.

　 　 A. Philip Hoare　　 　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. Michael Pollan　

　　 C. David Thomson　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Sonali Deraniyagala

41. What does the writer want to express in his book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation?

　 　 A. How people cooked food in ancient times.

　　 B. Modern fast food makes our life convenient.

　 　 C. People should learn from famous chefs.

　 　 D. People should cook food by themselves.

42. Who would most probably read Wave?

　 　 A. Someone who loves reading funny stories.

　 　 B. Someone who is interested in love stories.

　 　 C. Someone who wants to make a study of the sea.

　 　 D. Someone who loves sad and touching stories.